Childhood lead exposure linked to poor adult mental health

Lead exposure in childhood appears to have long-lasting negative effects on mental health and personality in adulthood, according to a study of people who grew up in the era of leaded gasoline.  Click here to read further.

Drug and mental health admissions highest for a decade

More patients are being admitted to hospital in England for drug-related mental health issues or poisoning than at any time in the past 10 years.

Official figures reveal 15,074 cases of people in hospital with illicit drug poisoning in 2015-16, 51% more than 2005-06.

Mental health issues had drugs as a cause in 81,904 cases.

Public health experts say falling investment in drug treatment services may explain the rise.

Use of physostigmine in patients presenting to the emergency department with anticholinergic poisoning

New from BestBETs:

In [patients presenting to the emergency department with anticholinergic toxidrome], does the administration of [physostigmine] compared to [any other treatment] reduces [length of stay or need for intubation]?

In patients presenting to the ED with anticholinergic poisoning, the use of physostigmine might reduce the intubation rate, but not the mean length of stay. Unfortunately, the current data is very weak and prone to bias. Further prospective randomized studies on the subject are needed to support its use in anticholinergic toxicity.